Women and Socioeconomic Change in Malaysia: A Systematic Literature Review

Socioeconomic transformation has significantly influenced the position, roles, and well-being of women in contemporary society, particularly in relation to family structure, social participation, environmental adaptation, and community sustainability. Nevertheless, existing studies discussing women and socioeconomic change remain fragmented across multiple disciplines, resulting in limited holistic understanding of the interconnected social, cultural, health, and developmental dimensions affecting women. Therefore, this systematic literature review aims to synthesize and analyse the current body of knowledge related to women and socioeconomic change. This study applied the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol to ensure a transparent and systematic review process. Data were retrieved from two major databases, namely Scopus and ERIC, using advanced search strategies based on the keywords “women”, “socioeconomic”, and “change”. The review covered publications from 2022 to 2026. Following the screening and eligibility process, 20 primary studies were selected for final analysis. The findings revealed three major themes. The first theme, Women, Gender Roles, and Sociocultural Transformation, highlighted issues related to gender norms, women’s leadership, sociocultural expectations, legal rights, and feminist discourse. The second theme, Family, Well-Being, and Social Health, emphasized family relationships, health quality, ageing, communication patterns, migration, and food insecurity. The third theme, Socioeconomic Development, Environment, and Community Sustainability, focused on urbanisation, environmental vulnerability, water conservation, and sustainable community development. Overall, the review demonstrates that socioeconomic change has multidimensional implications for women’s lives and societal well-being. The study contributes to the existing literature by providing an integrated thematic understanding of women and socioeconomic transformation, while also highlighting the need for inclusive policies, sustainable social support systems, and future interdisciplinary research.

women, socioeconomic, change

1. Albanesi, S., & Prados, M. (2022). Slowing Women’s Labor Force Participation: The Role of Income Inequality. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.3386/w29675 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Bahrudin, H., & Bakar, K. A. (2022). Dissent by Design: A Multimodal Study of 2019 Women’s March MY Protest Signs. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 12(6), 1076–1086. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1206.07 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Blau, F. (2024). Gender Inequality in the Labor Market: Continuing Progress? ILR Review, 78, 275–303. https://doi.org/10.1177/00197939241308844 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Chin, J. Y., Chin, Y. M., & Noew, H. S. (2022). The Participation of Malaysian Chinese Women in the Workforce: Traditional Values and Choices. Journal of Chinese Overseas, 18(2), 335–357. https://doi.org/10.1163/17932548-12341470 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Duflo, E. (2012). Women Empowerment and Economic Development. Journal of Economic Literature, 50, 1051–1079. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.50.4.1051 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Gopal, P. S., & Sathyanarayanan, G. (2022). Gender socialization – an inhibitor of potential in capable poor urban women: a review on capability perspective in Malaysia. International Journal of Development Issues, 21(1), 54–71. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJDI-03-2021-0063 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Islam, M. R., & Ghosh, S. (2024). Women empowerment through education and training for economic growth and development: Challenges and implementation. International Journal of Advanced Academic Studies. https://doi.org/10.33545/27068919.2024.v6.i2a.1112 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Klasen, S. (2019). What Explains Uneven Female Labor Force Participation Levels and Trends in Developing Countries? In The World Bank Research Observer. https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lkz005 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Le, K., & Nguyen, M. (2020). How Education Empowers Women in Developing Countries. The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 21, 511–536. https://doi.org/10.1515/bejeap-2020-0046 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Page, M. J., Mckenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-wilson, E., Mcdonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement : an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. 1–11. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Sabri, S. K., & Mahmood, S. R. B. S. (2025). Balancing Work and Family: Lived Experiences of Professional Working Mothers at Institutions of Higher Education. Asian Journal of University Education, 21(3), 649–664. https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v21i3.44 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Sahin, B. (2025). Structural, Social, and Ecological Dimensions of Female Labor Force Participation: A Bayesian Analysis Across National Contexts. Land. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14091793 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Sudrajat, O., Uyun, Y. R., & Peristiwo, H. (2026). Islamic Inheritance Law In Indonesia and Malaysia: Gender Equality Through Consensual Modification. Mawaddah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Islam, 4(1), 227–251. https://doi.org/10.52496/mjhki.v4i1.64 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Thien, L. M., Lim, H. L., Ahmad Shabudin, A. F., Che Aman, R., Ismail, A., Zuharah, W. F., & Muftahu, M. (2025). Women leadership in higher education: exploring enablers and challenges from middle-level academics’ perspective. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04278-6 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Ullah, R., Daraz, U., & Kamal, A. (2024). Harmonizing Progress: The Resounding Impact of Education on Women’s Economic Empowerment. Qlantic Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities. https://doi.org/10.55737/qjssh.267011167 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Albanesi, S., & Prados, M. (2022). Slowing Women’s Labor Force Participation: The Role of Income Inequality. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.3386/w29675 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Bahrudin, H., & Bakar, K. A. (2022). Dissent by Design: A Multimodal Study of 2019 Women’s March MY Protest Signs. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 12(6), 1076–1086. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1206.07 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Blau, F. (2024). Gender Inequality in the Labor Market: Continuing Progress? ILR Review, 78, 275–303. https://doi.org/10.1177/00197939241308844 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Chin, J. Y., Chin, Y. M., & Noew, H. S. (2022). The Participation of Malaysian Chinese Women in the Workforce: Traditional Values and Choices. Journal of Chinese Overseas, 18(2), 335–357. https://doi.org/10.1163/17932548-12341470 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Duflo, E. (2012). Women Empowerment and Economic Development. Journal of Economic Literature, 50, 1051–1079. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.50.4.1051 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Gopal, P. S., & Sathyanarayanan, G. (2022). Gender socialization – an inhibitor of potential in capable poor urban women: a review on capability perspective in Malaysia. International Journal of Development Issues, 21(1), 54–71. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJDI-03-2021-0063 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Islam, M. R., & Ghosh, S. (2024). Women empowerment through education and training for economic growth and development: Challenges and implementation. International Journal of Advanced Academic Studies. https://doi.org/10.33545/27068919.2024.v6.i2a.1112 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Klasen, S. (2019). What Explains Uneven Female Labor Force Participation Levels and Trends in Developing Countries? In The World Bank Research Observer. https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lkz005 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Le, K., & Nguyen, M. (2020). How Education Empowers Women in Developing Countries. The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 21, 511–536. https://doi.org/10.1515/bejeap-2020-0046 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Page, M. J., Mckenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-wilson, E., Mcdonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement : an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. 1–11. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Sabri, S. K., & Mahmood, S. R. B. S. (2025). Balancing Work and Family: Lived Experiences of Professional Working Mothers at Institutions of Higher Education. Asian Journal of University Education, 21(3), 649–664. https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v21i3.44 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Sahin, B. (2025). Structural, Social, and Ecological Dimensions of Female Labor Force Participation: A Bayesian Analysis Across National Contexts. Land. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14091793 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Sudrajat, O., Uyun, Y. R., & Peristiwo, H. (2026). Islamic Inheritance Law In Indonesia and Malaysia: Gender Equality Through Consensual Modification. Mawaddah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Islam, 4(1), 227–251. https://doi.org/10.52496/mjhki.v4i1.64 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Thien, L. M., Lim, H. L., Ahmad Shabudin, A. F., Che Aman, R., Ismail, A., Zuharah, W. F., & Muftahu, M. (2025). Women leadership in higher education: exploring enablers and challenges from middle-level academics’ perspective. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04278-6 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Ullah, R., Daraz, U., & Kamal, A. (2024). Harmonizing Progress: The Resounding Impact of Education on Women’s Economic Empowerment. Qlantic Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities. https://doi.org/10.55737/qjssh.267011167 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Exploring Gender Narratives: Femininity and Masculinity in Health and Commercial Advertising in the Philippines
• Gendered Dimensions of Marital Celebrations: A Comparative Analysis of Women's and Men's Experiences and Perceptions
• Assessing the Impact of Gender Mainstreaming Policies and Programs on Gender Equality in Caraga Region, Philippines: A Quantitative Survey-Based Analysis
• Gendered Coping Patterns: Advancing Healthy Help-Seeking Behaviours in Men
• From Panoptic Control to Quiet Resistance: Navigating Gendered Childhoods and Emerging Agency in Rajshahi, Bangladesh